majic bullet vs: stick blender

[snapdragon]

I'm looking for something to make smoothies and protein shakes and my blender is too big and doesn't really mix well. Do any of you have one of these items? Which one do you like better and why?

[Missy]

I personally LOVE the Magic Bullet...because I love the fact that you blend in the glass you drink from...and no messy clean up or blender to be washed. It's instantly mobile. Yes, the stick blending is similar...but well, I just LOVE the Magic Bullet! :D

[snapdragon]

Thank you Missy! You know how you see the infomercial and are not sure it "Really" works? This will be a big help to me with my aversion to cooking and more work than necessary!:D

[Mitra]

I have a stick mixer. I'm not sure how it differs from a magic bullet. It works fine. I use it for making mayonnaise, for blending yogurt, almond butter &c for a shake, for chopping onions where a recipe calls for grated onions, for making garlic & ginger into a paste for Indian recipes ...

[Ottawa]

the BULLET!

You can do way more than make shakes.

1.5 scoops Chocolate Whey
.25 cup Heavy Cream
2 slices fresh ginger
cup of cranberries or raspberries
shot of Cherry Davinci
bit of Celulose gum, soluble fiber or Xanthum gum
6 ice Cubes
possibly a little touch of water

You've got Ice Cream!

[Missy]

If you choose to go with the Bullet Snapdragon...you don't have to buy it off the infomercial either...it's available retail..and it will cost you ALOT less...I made the mistake of buying it off TV and they hooked me for a whole lot more then I needed to spend....other then I got ALOT more glasses and such. I love mine, wouldn't do without.

[Gaelen]

for me it's not really 'either/or'. Each has its own strengths.

The stick blender makes great shakes, smoothies, whipped cream, wet spice rubs, wet curry blends, sauces, and I can puree a soup right in the pot, which makes it worth its weight in gold in my tiny kitchen. It also makes awesome nut pancake batter. I use mine every day.

The bullet, as noted, is terrific for ice cream. I mean terrific for ice cream--I am not kidding. It works okay for small batches of pesto, better than the stick blender IMO--but if I've got more than two cups of basil leaves, then I'm gonna use the Cuisinart because its motor can handle the heavier load for longer. The bullet is also a very good grater/grinder for spices and hard cheeses and coffee beans...although I do have perfectly good coffee grinders for spices and coffee beans.

I bought mine retail (Walmart) and I do like the easy cleanup. I would never bother with a full size blender as long as there's a MB and a stick blender in my house...unless I needed to make Margaritas. Nope, I can make them in the MB. No more conventional blenders for me. ;)

[LisaS]

I have both and agree - each has their place - though some uses overlap. I used the MB to grind some harder items/spices, and found that the resulting shrapnel scratched the cup such that it is now permanently cloudy rather than clear. Have you seen that as well, or just me?

[deirdra]

I use my Bullet for nearly everything, and yes, the cup I use for grinding coffee & nuts is a bit scratched, but I only use that one cup for hard things, so the others are clear. I also have a coffee grinder but it is hard to clean & must be cleaned by hand. The Bullet is easier to clean by hand or you just pop it into the dishwasher.

I've had a stick blender for ~20 years, but rarely use it because I always seem to spray food around the kitchen, which makes more to clean up. I also have cut myself on the blades when pulling them out for clean up, but then I'm a klutz. The design of the Bullet, like an upside down mini blender is great because the blades are permanently affixed to the top/bottom and it won't spin unless it is closed, so you cannot hurt yourself or make a mess.

[maxlharris]

For a very limited set of uses, I use the AeroLatte, which I got for $20 at Bed Bath and Beyond, butI think they sell at Williams Sonoma.

The uses: Blending protein powder with water/milk/cream/coffee (Isopure+coffee experiment 2 is going better today) and nothing more solid than splenda or fiber powder (Fiber Sure).

Whipping Cream/half and half for coffee applications (so small batches).

For these tasks, it works brilliantly. And costs less than the MB. I think you can get a very cheap Stick though. Maybe $20.